Phoenix Coyotes Fall to Ottawa Senators; Hockey's Back in the Desert, Eh?

​It's hockey season again in the Valley, and despite the almost-miraculous conclusion to last season, the Phoenix Coyotes aren't off to a great start.

The Coyotes are now 2-3-3 on the season, which includes last night's 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators.

The Senators dominated the first period with 20 shots on net to the Howlers' 8. Three of those shots went in, two of which went in nine seconds apart.

Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson got the scoring started for the Senators with a power-play goal about five minutes into the game.

Nine seconds later, Ottawa winger Alexei Kovalev made it 2-0.

Hockey's not like basketball -- scoring doesn't usually happen every
nine seconds. In fact, it's so rare to score two goals that close
together that the back-to-back goals set an Ottawa record.

Ottawa's previous record was set when Martin Straka and Antti Tormanen
scored 10 seconds apart in the second period of a 4-2 win over the
Calgary Flames at the Ottawa Civic Centre on October 19, 1995.

So, look at it this way, while the Coyotes lost, at least they're contributing to NHL history.

The Coyotes scoring summary isn't as impressive. They trailed 3-0 going
into the second period and were playing catch up the entire game.

Coyotes defenseman Sammy Lepisto scored the Coyotes' first goal about four minutes into the second period to make it 3-1.

Defenseman Keith Yandle found the back of the net about seven minutes
into the third period but the Senators answered the two goals with two
of their own later in the period, making the score 5-2.

The big news for the Coyotes is that captain Shane Doan is back from a three-game suspension.

Doan's a goon, which is what makes him awesome. On October 17, he
crushed Anaheim Ducks winger Dan Sexton. It was a blind-side hit -- some
would even call it cheap, like the NHL's top brass, which handed down the
suspension.

Aside from being a thug, Doan doesn't like to lose.

"We put ourselves in the position where we have to chase a game the
whole night and gave them the opportunity to feel good about
themselves," Doan said after the game.

The Coyotes continue their road trip tomorrow night, when they take on
the Red Wings in Detroit. The game starts at 4:30 p.m. and can be seen
on Fox Sports Arizona. For more Coyotes info click here.

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Doan a thug? Really? That hit was a lousy call by the NHL- especially against a player who is not vindictive or brutal. Doan has heart and sportsmanship- not something you see much in other professional sports.